The invention relates to a high rate sputtering system and method wherein the life of the target is extended. It is suitable for sputtering of a wide range of materials in magnetically enhanced or other types of sputtering devices.
In the art of sputtering, target erosion is a serious problem limiting the life of the target. Another problem is target overheating, which can be reduced for example by lowering the power density of the target. The latter provision, however, decreases the rate of material deposition. In addition, when sputtering magnetic materials by magnetically enhanced sputtering systems, the thickness of the target has to be relatively small to prevent diversion of the plasma confining magnetic field, and, consequently, weakening of the plasma. The above-indicated disadvantages limit the performance and effective utilization of the prior art devices for sputtering both magnetic and nonmagnetic materials because of frequent interruptions of the operation due to necessary replacement of the target material.
An example, where the low rate of sputtering obtained by the presently available prior art devices is particularly inconvenient are continuous operations, such as in manufacturing of tape for magnetic recording and reproduction. Thus, it is desirable to obtain a higher sputtering rate to increase the rate of manufacturing magnetic tape by sputtering.